Chris Brown avoids prison time for brawling at a London nightclub
[October 27, 2026]
By BRIAN MELLEY
LONDON (AP) — Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown avoided prison time
Monday for beating a music producer with a tequila bottle at a London
nightclub three years ago.
The 37-year-old was given an eight-month sentence, suspended for a year.
He had faced up to three years in prison after pleading guilty to a
count of affray in July for the attack on the dance floor of Tape, a
private club in the swanky Mayfair neighborhood in February 2023.
Video footage played in court showed Brown having to be pulled away from
the victim, his former friend Abraham Diaw, after striking him twice in
the head with a bottle.
“The repeated use of a glass bottle in that way, especially aimed at the
head, was plainly dangerous. It carried the risk of delivering a more
serious injury than was ultimately sustained,” Judge Tony Baumgartner
said in Southwark Crown Court.
Despite the seriousness of the attack, Baumgartner said Brown did not
qualify for a custodial sentence because he pleaded guilty and there
were several mitigating circumstances, including stable employment and
charity work. The judge acknowledged Brown’s previous convictions but
said he had maintained a clean record in recent years.
Previous brushes with the law
Brown has faced repeated legal trouble since his felony conviction in
the 2009 assault of his then-girlfriend, Rihanna, hours before the pair
were due to perform at the Grammys.
He has been arrested in several U.S. states over altercations but was
either not charged or prosecutors later dropped the charges. In 2019 he
was arrested in Paris and questioned on suspicion of rape, but was
released without charge.
In return for his guilty plea, prosecutors dropped charges of assault,
attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and having an offensive weapon,
a bottle.
Brown’s friend and vocal coach Omololu Akinlolu also pleaded guilty to
affray and was given a four-month suspended sentence.
Affray is the use or threat of unlawful violence that leads someone to
fear for their safety.
Brown has apologized for the attack
Prosecutor Heidi Stonecliffe said Brown played a leading role in the
attack.
“By any circumstances, when one watches that footage, it is Mr. Brown
that moves first,” Stonecliffe said.
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R&B singer Chris Brown arrives at Southwark Crown court for being
sentenced over a nightclub attack in London, Monday, Oct. 26,
2026.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
 Defense lawyer Sallie
Bennett-Jenkins said Brown apologized to all those at the club that
night, though she emphasized the attack lasted no more than 20
seconds.
“This is an ugly and unattractive incident,” Bennett-Jenkins said.
“It is something which undoubtedly would have caused distress to
those who are present and for which Mr. Brown … offers a profound
apology to all those present.”
Diaw was discharged from the hospital with head and knee injuries,
Stonecliffe said.
Crowds greet Brown outside court
Brown was cheered outside the courthouse by fans who came from as
far as Italy and the Netherlands.
His face was covered by a black mask and dark glasses and his
bleached hair was mostly hidden from view under a black ball cap. He
wore a black leather jacket and light-colored turtleneck.
He blew a kiss to one fan and appeared to sign an autograph for
another as he moved through a pack of photographers and onlookers.
Not everyone was cheering for him. When he arrived at court in the
morning, a lone voice could be heard shouting at him to ask when he
was going to learn that violence is not OK.
Brown left the United Kingdom after the brawl but was arrested in
May 2025 at a Manchester hotel after flying to the city for a
concert. He had been free on bail of 5 million pounds ($6.7
million), which allowed him to tour Europe and North America the
past two summers.
Brown rose to stardom as a teen in 2005 and won his first Grammy for
best R&B album in 2011 for “F.A.M.E.” He earned his second in the
same category for “11:11 (Deluxe)” in 2025.
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